While a limited number of technologically-savvy users have always been able to use even the most difficult and arcane human-machine interfaces (even those that require highly specialized knowledge of computer programming languages), the average consumer is effectively locked out of technology unless and until a sufficiently user-friendly user interface is developed and implemented. So-called “smart phones” are one type of device that has benefited significantly from attention to user interface design. Unlike the pocket telephones of just a few years ago, modern smart phones have touch screens, inertial sensors, high resolution displays, optical sensors and voice activation capabilities. These input and output capabilities have made it possible to implement a range of user applications providing touch gesture recognition, multi-touch inputs, automatic optical pattern recognition, graphical user interface displays, and other exciting functionality.
While enhanced technical capabilities now provide a wide range of graphical user interfaces, decisions concerning precisely how users should interact with a particular application on a particular device are more complex than ever before. For example, due to the popularity and proliferation of different message oriented communication services available today such as SMS, MMS, Twitter, Facebook, Google messaging, Blackberry Messenger, Skype, etc., consumers are left with a dizzying array of user interfaces (UI) to contend with to manage the information flow. Each different product or application may expose different ways to input and display the message being communicated on the multitude of computer platforms they run on.
This confusion becomes further compounded when concepts of security and/or privacy are added into the mix. Some products like Facebook require a handshake, such as a “friend request”, to occur between two cooperating accounts before information is supposed to be shared. Other systems like SMS or MMS allows exchange of messages between devices as long as one party knows the network identity (phone number) of the other. Some computer applications are available that even aggregate these distinct communications streams into a common “Inbox’, making It easier for the consumer to potentially navigate the messages. However, in many such common interfaces available today, it may be difficult to tell the difference between messages that were sent or received securely and ones that were not.
Serious challenges are presented when designing a user interface that is to be both easy to use and yet accommodates secrecy. Many of us have seen spy films such as James Bond where a secret agent is issued watches that detonate, cars with adaptive camouflage, mobile phones with fingerprint locks, and the like. Unfortunately, technology mockups for the movies often are not useful or even practical in the real world. Nevertheless, real undercover detectives and other covert operatives have a need for technology that does work and is effective.
Consider for example a situation where an undercover detective or other covert operative needs to be sent a highly strategic message that, if the message falls into the wrong hands, could result in extreme danger to the detective, hostages or innocent bystanders. The last thing the sender may want is to have the detective's smart phone generate a tone or display indicating that a message has arrived. Nevertheless, the detective must be able to access the message covertly, when no one else is looking, with assurance that the message is for his “eyes only”.
Given the current complexity among the plethora of different commercially-available implementations, it would be highly desirable to provide a solution that would enable the initiator and/or the consumer of these communiqués to determine the state of privacy associated with each message.
Non-limiting technology herein provides systems and methods for enabling a consumer to graphically, linguistically, verbally, or programmatically, determine the privacy and security state of a communiqué and/or the privacy/security association with the at least one plurality of peers.